Christian tostenson



(No Model.)

c. T OSTE NSON. TH RASHING MAG'HINE.

latent 56901:. 26,1886.

n FETKRS, Photo-Lithographer. Washinglo I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN TOSTENSON, OF OSI/VEGO, NEW- YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMES IRON WVORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

THRASHI NG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 351,670, dated October 26, 1886.

Applicati n filed January 25, 1886. Serial No. 1159,5713. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: racks or straw-carriers D in the usual and Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN TOSTENSON, well-known manner. of Oswego, in the county of Oswego, in the The construction and arrangement of all State of New York, have invented new and other parts of the machine being immaterial 5 useful Improvements in Thrashing-Machines, to my invention, and may be of any well-known of which the following, taken in, connection style, a description of the same is therefore with the accompanying drawings, is a full, unnecessary here. clear, and exact description. Heretofore the grateA has in the majority of y This invention has reference to the concave, cases been rigidly attached to the concave, and 6 1o whichisarrangedunderthethrashingcylinder, was therefore incapable of being adjusted inandisarmedwith teethbetween which theteeth dependently of the concave, and although in of the thrashing-cylinder play in the operation some cases the grate has been arranged adof thrashing; and the invention also relates to justable independently of the concave, yet it the grating, which is usually arranged vertiwas pivoted to a stationary support and con- 65 I 5 cally adjustable atthe rear end of the concave, fined to a uniform elevation at its front, and to properly deliver the thrashed substance from the entire adjustment of the inclination had to the concave to the shaking or oscillating racks, be effected at the rear end of the grate, where which are arranged back of said grating in it rested by gravity on a variable support. In the usual and well-known manner. attempting to lower the grate to a diminished 2c The object of the invention is to obtain a inclination when required it was found that greater range of adjustment of the inclination the grate did notrespond to the adjustment of the grate back of the concave, andto proof its support, owing to its being retained videmore positive means for effecting such in its position by the chaff and dirt having adjustment; and to that end my invention 0011- become wedged between the sides of the grate 2 5 sists in the improved construction and combiand sides of the main frame of the machine.

nation of parts, hereinafter more fully de- To obviate this defect as nearly as practiscribed, and specifically set forth in theclaims. cable, I form the metallic side bars or frames, In the annexed drawings, Figure I is aside 0, of the concave with rigid rearwardly-exelevation of that part of a thrashing-machine tended arms 0, and pivot the concave on the s 0 to which my improvements are applied, aporsides of the frame of the machine at the extion of the side of the inclosing-frame being tremities of said arms. The front end of each broken away to better illustrate the invention. frame 0, I form with a hook, e, projecting from. Fig. II is a front view of the concave. Fig. the bottom of said frame, and with a lug,f, III is an enlarged detached side View of the projecting over the said hook and forming 35 metallic frame of the oouoave,with the grating between them an elongated opening of,proper pivoted therein and movable, as shown in dotdimensions, to receive through it the shaft (1', ted lines. Fig. IV is a top plan view of the with its lug b, which projects laterally from same. Fig. V is a detached side View of the the shaft into the aforesaid opening, as repreframe or side rail of the grating, showing its sented in Fig. III of the drawings. The shaft 90 o connection with its adjusting devices; and a is extended acrossthe front of the machine Fig. VI is a detached plan view of one of the and journaled in. stout metal plates P I, seshafts by which the concave and grating are cured to the inner sides of the wooden frame adjustably supported. of the machine, as illustrated in Fig. II of the Similar letters of reference indicate corredrawings. On the end portion of the shaft a 5 sponding parts. is fastened a ratchet-wheel, Z, from which pro- B represents the thrashing-cylinder; G, the ject-s a handle by which to turn the shaft, and concave, arranged under the thrashing-cylinto the corner-post of the frame of the machine der, and armed with teeth, between which the is connected a dog, m, which engages the ratchteeth of the latter play in the operation of et-wheel,to prevent the shaftfrom being turned :00 5o thrashing. A denotes the grating-over which back by the weight of the concave resting on the thrashed product passes to the shakingthe lugs b b of the shaft.

In turning the shaft a, the lugs I) b of said shaft are caused to either pry up the front portion of the concave by pressing on the lug f thereof, or draw it down by pressing on the hook e,aecording to the direction in which the shaft is turned. The lug f, projecting over the hook e, as before described, serves as a guard to prevent the shaft from turning too far and throwing its lugs b I) out of the opening between the hook c and lug f of the concave, thus forming a positive connection of the concave with the shaft (0; and this connection is essential, inasmuch as the cl1at'f,broken straw, and dirt accumulate between the concave-frames C and plates P, and become so packed thereat as to require considerable force to draw the concave down when desired to enlarge the space between it and the th rashingcylinder.

On each of the arms 0, at or near its junction with the concave-frame C, I pivot the front portion of the metal frame A of the grating. Said portion of the grating is thus made to rise and fall with the adj ustment of the concave, and is maintained at the same elevation as the rear portion of the concave.

The rear portion of the grating has, prior to my present invention, been supported adjustablyvertically by various means. In some cases the grate has been ad j nstably secured to the frame of the machine by bolts adapted to be connected to said frame at different elevations. Such means of adjusting the grate, however, are very slow, laborious, and tedious in their operation. In other instances arockshaft has been extended across the under side of the grate and provided with cams or eccentrics, by which the shaft, when rotated, was caused to raise the grate; but the rock-shaft and its cams or eccentrics had no positive connection with the grating to draw it down and hold it down to its adjusted position, the grating being held down merely by its gravity; and, inasmuch as the gratingis usually quite short, it does not possess sufficient gravity to follow the movementof its support when lowered, but is held in its position by the chaff and dirt that usually accumulate between the sides of the grate and sides of the main frame. This defeet I overcome by the followingimproved construction and combination of parts: The frame A of the grating I form with a hook, 71, projecting from the under side thereof, forward and underneath the grating. I extend a rockshaft, a, across the frame of the machine and journal it either in eyes in the rear ends of the plates 1? P, heretofore referred to, or in boxes secured to the frame of the machine. This rock-shaft has projecting from it laterally two lugs, b b, one under each of the side bars of the frame A of the grating and entering into the hooks h h thereof, so as to form a positive coupling between the grating and lugs b b. The end of the shaft has affixed to it a ratchet, n, from which projects a handle, by which to turn the shaft, and by doing this the lugs b b are caused to either lift the frame A or draw it down, according to the direction in which the shaft is turned. To prevent the shaft from turning completely around and swinging the lugs b b away from the grating, I provide the frame A with a guard, t, in the form of a shoulder, in front of the hook h, which guard arrests the movement of the lug b when it has attained a vertical position and raised the grating to its maximum inclination, as represented in Fig. V of the drawings.

The described positive coupling of the grateframe A with the lugs Z of the shaft serves to hold the grating down to its adjusted position.

A pawl or dog, 0, connected to the frame of the machine, engages the ratchet n and prevents the shaft to from being turned back by the weight of the grating resting on the lugs 12 b. The arm 0 of the concave-frame O, I provide with a rib, d, above the grate-frame A, for two purposes-via, to serve as a stop for limiting the elevation of the rear portion of the grating and to re-enforce the arm 0.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of the metallic concave frames 0 0, formed with the rearwardly-extended arms a c, and with the combined stops and re-enforcing ribs d d on said arms, the grateframe A, pivoted on the armsc cnear theirjunction with the frames 0 and under the stops d d, and a vertically-adjustable support forthe rear portion of the frame A, all constructed and combined substantially as described and shown, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the thrashing-cylirr der and the rock-shafts a a, provided with lugs b b, the metallic concave frames 0 0, formed with the hooks c and guards fat the front, and with the rearwardly-extended arms a c, and pivoted at the extremities of said arms, and the grate-frame A, pivoted 011 the arms 0 c at their junction with the concaveframes, and formed with the hooks h and guards Z, all constructed and combined to positively adjust the grate at either end, substantially in the manner specified and shown.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name and affixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Oswego city, in the county of Oswego, in the State of New York, this 9th day of January, 1886.

CHRISTIAN TOSTENSON. [L

Witnesses:

ALLEN Anus, E. P. KENIFIo. 

